Method of forming open-work designs in stockings



May 19, 1931. E. o. NEBEL 1,806,491

METHOD 0 FORMING OPEN WORK DESIGNS IN STOCKINGS Filed June 30, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet l [ax/anger- [rmsf 4.2m) ji ze 1 i Mo 7 y 1931- E. o. NEBEL 7 1,806,491

IETHOD OF FORMING OPEN WORK DESIGNS IN STOCKINGS Filed June so. 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 22g. 2. I I C I B I y 1931- E. o. NEBEL 1,806,491

METHOD OF FORMING OPEN WORK DESIGNS IN STOCKINGS Filed June 30. 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 N E; 3 g g U g nxw w 3 Q .3) g Y ioaocg\ goTaoo k S, H 3

i fwear i awa /Kidd Patented May 19, 1931 ERNST OSCAR NEBEL, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA METHOD OF FORMING OPEN-WORK DESIGNS IN STOCKINGS Application filed June 30,

This invention relates to a method for producing operi-work designs in knitted fabrics, especially full-fashioned hosiery.

The method forming the subject of my invention comprises the knitting of a fabric in a plurality of different parts or sections, and causing the'selvage edges of these different parts to be tied together, or to overlap and to be interknit with each other, at

predetermined intervals, whereby the several sections of the fabric are tied together to form the whole of the fabric whereby holes or openings are formed between the sections in a manner to produce artistic designs in the fabric, the said openings having selvage edges throughout.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a stocking having an open-work design formed therein in accordance with the principles of my invention; 1

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the use of a plurality of threads in'the formation of a port-ion of the design shown in Fig. 1; V

Fig. 3 is an enlarged diagrammatic view of the stitch formation at one of the openings constituting the design; and

.Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic illustration of a machine set up capable of producing the design shown in Fig. 1.

This invention is shown in the drawings as being applied to a fiat full-fashioned hosiery knitting machine, in. which the thread bars are adapted to be longitudinally reciprocated, in the usual manner. by mechanism not shown, the thread bars being provided with the usual thread guides or fingers which are adapted to lay knitting threads between the needles 1 and the forward ends of the sinkers 2.

In order to knit a stocking having an open-work design formed therein, according to the principles of my invention, the thread guide 10,'in the present instance, is adapted to deliver a knitting thread to the needles for the knitting of the leg portion A of the stocking, down to the line a, in the usual manner.

To this point in the operation the thread 1928. Serial No. 289,l65.

bar 11, which carries the guide 10, is controlled by the usual screw and nut mechalVhen the knitting progresses to the .11.

course at the line a the screw and nut control for the thread bar 11 is thrown out of action and a controlling mechanism 15, such as that illustrated in my co-pending application. Serial No. 239,554, filed December 12, 1927, is brought into action.

At the same time a similar thread bar controlling mechanism 25 is brought into action for controlling the reciprocation of thread bars 21, 21 on which are mounted thread guides 20, 20, respectively.

The thread guide is thereafter adapted to feed a. knitting thread to the needles which knit the center portion B of the stocking; and the thread guides 20, are

respectivelyadapted to feed threads to the needles which knit the portions C, C of the stocking lying between the center portion B and the selvage edges :22, w.

The machine is adapted to then knit a number of courses, in the present instance four, which produces a hole D intermediate the portions B and C, having selvage edges, as shown in Fig. 3. i

The controlling mechanism 15 is so arranged that during the knitting of the next four courses-the thread guide 10 will travel to each side of the portion B overlapping the portions C, C to the extent of two wales or needles, in the present instance.

Thisrunning of the thread which forms the center portion B, into the portions C, C at the opposite sides of the portion B ties these portions B and C of the fabric together and completes the hole D.

At this time another thread. bar controlling mechanism is brought into action to form a portion E of the fabric which lies between the portions B and C, and is outlined by a series of holes D.

For the purpose of laying threads of certain of the needles to form the portions E of the fabric, the controlling device 35 is operatively associated with thread bars 31,

31 on which are respectively mounted thread guides 30, 30. 7

Each of the thread bar controlling devices 15, 25 and 85 comprises a pair of endless chains or belts 16, 16 on which are secured abutment blocks 17, 17 of various lengths. The chains 16 and the blocks 17 thereon are adapted to be intermittently moved between the reciprocations of the thread bars to present the blocks 17 successively to stop screws or similar elements 133, 18 which are operatively connected ,to the thread bars 11, 21and31 respectively.

, The various lengths of the abutment blocks17 permit the thread bars, which they respectively control, to be 'anoved across different numbers of :the needles in order :to form the holes or openings D at desired places, and to effect thezoverlapping of the Marious portions of the :fabric to complete the holes and tie atheadiiterent parts of the ":frahrictogether.

M hereL-ahole is to be formed the :thread bar controlling elements so regulate the travel of the different threadbare that the thread guides carried thereby are acaused to be stoppedbetweena'giuen :pair of ad-- jacently spos'itioned needles at :the end of one of their :reciprocatory zmo'vements, whereby, when the thread bars 'ztravel in the opposite direction .no thread is laid )between the said 'ahaving .a selvage edge. icontl-nued for :a ,gixven number of courses paizr er adjacently positioned :needdes which iconsequent'ly produces a whole D in the fabric This operation is @depending upon the Jength of :the hole to be "produced whereupon one :or both :Qifiilhfl thread hars'are adapted ;to travel across the space between the :two said .adjacently pocsitionedkneedles :into'the adjacent portion 'iof Ethfi fabric to tie :the adjacently positioned .ed at min Fig. :3, {to form the Whole iorf'gthe' \portions of the ,fabric together, as illustratfabric. 7 V

1EQI zthejpurpese of illustrating the o perations attending the formation of the desigmv illustrated. in AF ig. 1, when :thekcourse illustrated by the line .a is reached the operation of the thread. guide 10 is ,changed, and the threadguides 20,, 20 thrown into ac- Qis started.

The machine then fknits four'courses, the thread guide 10 delivering thread to the needles to produce the central portion "B v of the stocking b'lank andthe thread guides 20,20 respectively delivering threads to -the (l-of the fabric;

' in Fig. 2 and in detail in Fig. 3.

The thread guides are then thrown in- ;to action to produce the portions E, E of i the fabric. The machine is adapted to then knit four courses, with the guide 10' overlapping the portions G, C of the fabric as noted during the knitting of these four courses. During the knitting of these four courses the thread ,of which the vportion E.

is composed is being interknit with these overlapping portions of the fabric to anchor :the said thread end in the fabric.

During the .iknitting of thefnext four :courses the thread guides 10, .QOa-nd 30 are controlled, in the manner above noted to produce the -.-portions =10, (3- and .E, E, these portions of the fabric being-separated by lthe holes D313 I During the .knitting of the next four courses, the thread guidelO overlaps-the portion E to tie the parts B and E, E 'togetheras above noted, andthe thread guides .20, 20 are caused to overlap the opposite sides of the portions E, E ,to tie the-parts G, C and :E, E'ztoget'her;

These actions of the respective thread guides are controlled by the different llength abutment blocks 17 being :moved into:align- 'ment with the stops -l'8, irespectively connected to the different thread 'bars on which the thread guides 10, 20 and 30 are cannied.

"Theiknitting of the fabric in :the' above manner continues, alternating everyv four :courses to form holes and to tie the fabric together between the holes, until the'line {b is reached, whereupon the thread guides 30 are thrown out of action and the thread guides 10 and 20 proceed it!) form the .poritlOIlS B and C :of the fabric,- inthe manner inoted, until :the line :0 is reached.

lVhen the'line 0 is reached the thread guides 3028115 again thrown into action to produce the portion E of the fabric and the thread .guideslO and 20 controlled to form I the fabric portions B and =0 respectively. ,tion :as -abo.ve noted, whereupon the machine 7 The iknitting progresses in this :manner until the line d :is reached, whereupon the guides 30 are again thrown ear of action and itllG guides 10 .andfiOkagaih .co'soperate to form the portions and G of the fabric.

When the line :6 is reached .the thread guides '30 areagain thrown into action to produce the portion E in the manner above noted, :the thread guides 10 and '20 producing the portions 13 and C" respectizve'l y, and when the "line fiis reached the thread guides '20 .and 30 are thrownout .of action and the :tlrreadguide 10 is employed :to :feed yarn to all theneedles between the sel-eiageiedges 01,

wet thefabric .to form the portion A thereof, after which the knitting of the remainder of the stocking is effected in the usual manher, the controlling mechanism 15 for the guide 10 being replaced again by the common screw and nut controlling mechanism of the machine.

While I have described the operations attending the formation of the design shown in Fig. 1, obviously any desired form of design may be produced in a like manner,

by changing the arrangement and lengths of the abutment blocks 17 and while I have described the operation as alternating at every fourth course to produce either a hole or an overlapping tie portion of the fabric, this relation may also be changed in accordance with the length of the hole desired and the length of the overlapping portions desired to obtain between the holes.

From the above it will be seen that I am able to produce open-work designs of designs of desired configurations by producing a fabric consisting of a plurality of different portions tied together at desired points to complete the fabric and to form the openwork at desired points between the different portions of the fabric.

I claim:

1. A method of producing open-work designs in knitted fabric, comprising the knitting of a fabric in a plurality of sep 'arate independent sections each section having selvage edges, and interknitting the selvage edges of adjacent sections at predetermined intervals.

2. A method of producing open-work designs in knittedfabric, comprising the knitting of a fabric in a plurality of separate independent sections simultaneously, each section having selvage edges extending walewise of the fabric, and overlapping and inter-knitting the 'selvage edges of adjacent sections at predetermined intervals wale-wise of the fabric.

3. A method of producing open-work designs in knitted fabric, comprising the knitting of a fabric in a plurality of separate independent sections simultaneously, each section having selvage edges extending wale-wise of the fabric, producing coursewise extensions at predetermined wale-wise intervals 011 at least one of said sections adapted to overlap an adjacent section, and inter-knitting the said extensions with the fabric of the adjacent section which they overlap, to tie the sections together at predetermined intervals to form selvage edged openings in the fabric.

4. A-method of producing open-Work designs in knitted fabric, comprising the knitting of a fabric in a plurality of separate independent sections simultaneously, each section being formed of an independent thread, carrying the thread of at least one 3 of said sections across at least one of the wales of an adjacent section at predetermined intervals throughout the knitting operation, and interknitting the said overlapping thread with the thread of the overlapped section to tie the sections together at predetermined intervals wale-wise of the fabric to form openings in the fabric.

5. A method of producing open-work designs in stockings, comprising the knitting of one portion of a stocking of a single thread, and knitting another portion of the stocking in a plurality of separate independent sections integrally connected to the first said portion of the stocking, all the courses of each separate independent section being formed of a separate thread, carrying the thread of one section across at least one wale of an adjacent section at predetermined intervals throughout the knitting operation and interknitting the overlapping thread of the one section with the thread of the overlapped section to tie the sections together at predetermined intervals wale-wise of the stocking to form open-work designs in the stocking.

6. A method of producing open-work designs in stockings, comprising the knitting of one portion of a stocking of a single thread, and knitting another portion of the stocking in a plurality of separate independent sections integrally connected to the first said portion of the stocking, all the courses of each separate independent section being formed of a separate thread, carrying the thread of one section across at least one 100 wale of an adjacent section at predetermined intervals throughout the knitting operation and interknitting the overlapping thread of the one section with the thread of the overlapped section to tie the sections 1 together at predetermined intervals Walewise of the stocking to form open-work designs in the stocking, employing the thread of which the first said portion of the stocking is composed to form one of the separate 110 independent sections of the second said portion of the stocking.

7. A method of producing open-work designs in stockings, comprising the knitting of one portion of a stocking of a single 115 thread, and knitting another portion of the stocking in a plurality of separate independent sections integrally connected to the first said portion of the stocking, all the courses of each separate independent section being 120 formed of a separate thread, carrying the thread of one section across at least one wale of an adjacent section at predetermined intervals throughout the knitting operation and interknitting the overlapping 125 thread of the one section with the thread of the overlapped section to tie the sections together at predetermined intervals walewise of the stocking to form open-work designs in the stocking, employing the 1 

